The Shirelles were an influential American girl group in the early 1960s, a… Read Full Bio ↴The Shirelles were an influential American girl group in the early 1960s, and they were the very first girl group to have a number one single on the Billboard Hot 100. The members of the quartet were Shirley Owens (who was the lead singer for the most part), Doris Coley, Beverly Lee, and Addie "Micki" Harris. The quartet formed in New Jersey in 1958, and went on to release a string of hits including "Baby It's You", "Mama Said", and the #1 Pop hits "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" and "Soldier Boy". Their "Sha La La" became an international hit when covered by the British group Manfred Mann, and "Boys" was covered by [artsit]the Beatles (Ringo Starr singing lead).The Beatles also covered "Baby It's You" on their "Please Please Me" album. Although they had no more charting hits after 1967, the Shirelles continued recording for a small but devoted audience well into the 1970s and continued to tour and perform into the early 1980s. In 1968, Coley left the group to remarry and raise her family, and the group continued as a trio. In 1975, she returned only to replace Owens who departed to begin a solo career. On June 10, 1982, after a live concert in Atlanta, Harris succumbed to a heart attack (age 42); she was replaced by Louie Bethune. Shortly, the group went into semi-retirement, though they did accept an invitation to record backup vocals for Dionne Warwick in the late 1980s. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996. On February 4, 2000, Coley lost a battle with breast cancer (age 58). The group was inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2002.

march
The Shirelles Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

March! Hold your head up high
March! You'll find another guy
Another guy, wo oh

I told my friends that you were so fine
& they told me that you'd be unkind
I guess I was wrong, as you proved yesterday
I guess they were right when they used to say

"You'll be sorry, you'll be sorry"

I was a fool to believe in you
& I was a fool, but what could I do?
That had me goin' with your gentle ways
& I never listened when my friends would say
"You'll be sorry, you'll be sorry"

Oh now that you left me, my friends all tell me:
March! Hold your head up high
March! You'll find another guy
Another guy, wo oh

(high-pitched, like barks): Oh oh oh! Oh oh oh!

"You'll be sorry, you'll be sorry"
Ooo now that you left me, my friends all tell me:

(repeat & fade):
March! Hold your head up high

March! You'll find another guy
Another guy, wo oh

Overall Meaning

The Shirelles's song "March" is a classic example of a breakup song where the singer is being advised by her friends to hold her head high and move on from the heartbreak. In the first verse, the singer mentions how she had initially believed that her ex-partner was perfect, but her friends had voiced their concerns about their relationship. She ignored their concerns and continued being with her partner until he ended the relationship, similar to what the friends had predicted. The second verse has the singer lamenting how she had been foolish enough to believe in her partner and his gentle ways, and how she now regrets not heeding her friends' warnings.

The chorus of the song, where the singer is advised by her friends to hold her head high and find another guy, is the main takeaway from the song. It conveys the message that no matter how bad the heartbreak may be, it's essential to stand tall and not let it defeat you. The high-pitched barks in the bridge of the song could be interpreted as a metaphor for moving on from the pain and not letting it control one's life.

Line by Line Meaning

March! Hold your head up high
Be strong and confident in yourself, even though you are going through a heartbreak.

March! You'll find another guy
Don't dwell on the past and keep moving forward because there are other people out there who will treat you right.

Another guy, wo oh
There are plenty of other men who will be interested in you and treat you well.

I told my friends that you were so fine
I spoke positively about you to my friends in the past.

& they told me that you'd be unkind
My friends warned me about your negative traits, but I did not listen.

I guess I was wrong, as you proved yesterday
It turns out my friends were right about you all along, as you recently acted unkindly towards me.

I guess they were right when they used to say
I now realize that my friends were right about warning me about you in the past.

"You'll be sorry, you'll be sorry"
My friends warned me that I would regret getting involved with you.

I was a fool to believe in you
I was naive to trust and have feelings for you.

& I was a fool, but what could I do?
I made mistakes by getting involved with you, but there was nothing I could have done to prevent the pain I am currently experiencing.

marchThe Shirelles Lyrics

march
The Shirelles Lyrics